What an absolutely lovely cozy mystery. Bravo, Alan Bradley.The story is told from the viewpoint of an eleven-year-old named Flavia de Luce. She is quWhat an absolutely lovely cozy mystery. Bravo, Alan Bradley.The story is told from the viewpoint of an eleven-year-old named Flavia de Luce. She is quite precocious and a bit mad about chemistry. The story is set in 1950 in England.If you want to know more, please read the book....more

First of all, The Walking Whales: From Land to Water in Eight Million Years is a beautiful book. The book is well bound, the type is clear, and the paFirst of all, The Walking Whales: From Land to Water in Eight Million Years is a beautiful book. The book is well bound, the type is clear, and the paper is high quality. Also, there are numerous illustrations, some of which are very nice full-color renditions of the predecessors of modern whales.This book is not predigested pap. It goes into the details of the science. Thewissen lays out the specifics of whale evolution using the fossil, the chemical, and the biological (both cladistic and DNA) evidence. It is a fascinating story.Just as fascinating though is the story of the years of field work often in remote and sometimes dangerous locations. What do you do when you have made a major discovery in the field but haven't the funds to transport your finds back to the laboratory? What do you do when the police block you from a fossil site because there are murderous kidnappers in the hills? What happens when you have to negotiate with an elderly paranoid who owns key fossils? The stories of the people involved are intertwined with the story of the science and make this an interesting book indeed....more

The main character in this novel is Wu Johanna. She is none other than Marco Polo's granddaughter, born into the family he left behind in China when hThe main character in this novel is Wu Johanna. She is none other than Marco Polo's granddaughter, born into the family he left behind in China when he returned to Italy. Johanna is an attractive character. Lively and intelligent, she is also a risk taker. When a family crisis makes her position in her home in China untenable, she and a few close companions head west on the silk road. Adventures ensue.Dana Stabenow obviously did a lot of research for this book. It is well written and I found some of the characters quite interesting. This story is quite a jump from her normal crime/mystery/romance mix. Also obviously, this is only the first part of the story. It is a bit irritating how she leaves things hanging at the end. But hey, if George RR Martin can get away with it, why not?...more

Walter Isaacson has written a good biography of Einstein. Einstein, though famous, is still a somewhat enigmatic person. Isaacson brings him to life -Walter Isaacson has written a good biography of Einstein. Einstein, though famous, is still a somewhat enigmatic person. Isaacson brings him to life -- the genius, the individualist, the pacifistic activist, the family man, the absent-minded professor, and even the casual philanderer. A lot of good research went into the book.This book is also a two-for. You get a good layman's introduction to the Theory of Relativity. In fact, I think Einstein: His Life and Universe will teach you about as much as you can absorb about Relativity without getting into multidimensional non-Euclidean geometry and tensor calculus.Well worth reading if you are interested in Einstein and his times....more

This is an odd book. It is a tale of alien possession, sort of. It is a story of self-discovery, sort of. But it is mostly a story of covert-ops and sThis is an odd book. It is a tale of alien possession, sort of. It is a story of self-discovery, sort of. But it is mostly a story of covert-ops and spy-vs-spy action.I enjoyed it quite a lot....more

The Thousand-Dollar Tan Line is a must-read for Veronica Mars fans (which I freely admit to being).The story takes place shortly after the events of tThe Thousand-Dollar Tan Line is a must-read for Veronica Mars fans (which I freely admit to being).The story takes place shortly after the events of the recent Veronica Mars movie. Veronica is still in Neptune where she is running Mars Investigations while Keith convalesces.The central mystery, which is quite well plotted, involves two teenage girls who go missing during "spring break" festivities. The Neptune Chamber of Commerce, having no confidence in local law enforcement, hires Veronica to find them. The story has some really tense and dark moments, but it also has plenty of the trademark Veronica sass.I listened to the audiobook version, which is masterfully narrated by none other than Kristen Bell herself. That was a real plus and I suppose is what pushed the story to five stars for me. Good book....more